Nanotyrannus lancensis

Nanotyrannus lancensis

The “pygmy tyrant” has been controversial ever since first suggested by Dr. Robert Bakker and Phil Currie in 1988, but is now represented by a number of specimens supporting its validity as something other than a juvenile Tyrannosaurus. This beautiful skeleton from South Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation is a rare example of this elusive tyrannosaurid. With many more teeth than either an adult or juvenile Tyrannosaurus, this small predator would have been able to quickly take apart a large, nutritious carcass. At 15 feet (4.6 meters) long and about 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall, a pack of Nanotyrannus overwhelming an adult Edmontosaurus makes an action-packed and engaging scene.